From the start of the 2025-26 academic year, all government schools in the UAE will have artificial intelligence included as a formal subject.
Students in the UAE from kindergarten to Grade 12 are set to learn AI as one of their school subjects as the country looks to prepare them for the jobs of the future.
Ruler of Dubai announces the shift to AI
The new curriculum was announced on X by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who set out its aims:
As part of the UAE’s long-term plans to prepare future generations for a different future, a new world, and advanced skills, the UAE government today approved the final curriculum to introduce “Artificial Intelligence” as a subject across all stages of government education in the UAE, from kindergarten to grade 12, starting from the next academic year.
We appreciate the efforts of the Ministry of Education in developing a comprehensive curriculum, affirming that artificial intelligence will transform the way the world lives. Our goal is to teach our children a deep understanding of AI from a technical perspective, while also fostering their awareness of the ethics of this new technology, enhancing their understanding of its data, algorithms, applications, risks, and its connection to society and life.
Our responsibility is to equip our children for a time unlike ours, with conditions different from ours, and with new skills and capabilities that ensure the continued momentum of development and progress in our nation for decades to come.
AI curriculum developed with experts
According to reports, the Ministry of Education has worked with academic partners in Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) to define the content of the new AI subject while ensuring it is age-appropriate, has a focus on practical learning and includes teaching on ethical considerations as well as applications in data science, robotics, machine learning and more.
Read more about the UAE curriculum’s inclusion of AI here.
